Tray for watermelons



Oct. 7, 1941. G. M. LONG TRAY FOR WATERMELONS Filed July 10, 1940 Geo/:96: Milo/1y:

ATTORNEYS HESS Patented Oct. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRAY FOR WATERMELONS George M. Long, Canton, Miss.

Application July 10, 1940, Serial No. 344,789

1 Claim. (Cl. 65-15) This invention relates to a tray for watermelons and has for an object to provide a tray that can be used by a person in an automobile to eat a slice of watermelon in his automobile without getting the juice on his clothes or automobile upholstery.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tray having its upper portion slanted, to allow the juice of a watermelon to drain through the lower portion into a receptacle which may be easily emptied, taken apart, and cleaned.

A further object of the device is to provide a tray having a pair of prongs extending upwardly from the bottom of the tray at opposite sides of the receptacle to secure a slice of watermelon on the tray.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this character which will be formed of a few strong, simple and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture, and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the device taken on the line 33 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, l designates a tray substantially of elongated rectangular formation in plan. The tray l0 has its inner sides il inclined toward a square central opening l2 in the bottom ll of the tray. The peripheral edge portions of the opening are bent downwardly to form a rim It. A rim I5 is formed on the outer edge of the tray III. A pair of prongs l6 extend upwardly from the bottom of the tray III on opposite sides of the square opening I2 of the tray. A stop collar I1 is secured to each prong to limit insertion of the lower end of the prong into a respective opening in the bottom ll of the tray III.

A receptacle i0 is disposed underneath the tray is flat and has a square central opening 20 registering with the opening l2 of the tray. The outer edges of the top IQ of the receptacle are bent upwardly to form a rim 2i. The bottom 22 of the receptacle I8 is provided with side walls 23 and end walls 24 which incline downwardly and outwardly from the opening 20 in the top I! of the receptacle.

In operation the tray I0 is fitted on the top IQ of the receptacle it, which latter is arranged centrally with relation to the tray III with its longitudinal axis coincident with the longitudinal axis of the tray ID. The outer rim l5 of the tray fits down upon and overlaps the rim 2| of the receptacle and the inner rim ii of the tray fits down into the openingin the top of the receptacle, and snugly engages the upper portion of the side and end walls of the receptacle to removably and securely hold the tray I II to the receptacle It.

The receptacle I8 is provided with side walls 23 and end walls 24 which incline downwardly and outwardly. Thus any juices, seeds and waste from a slice of watermelon supported on the pair of prongs It would be directed downwardly from the inclined walls ii of the tray i0 through the opening I2 of the tray l0 into the opening 20 of the receptacle It to the side walls 23 and end walls 24 to the flat bottom 22.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

A tray for serving sliced watermelon comprising, a tray provided with a receptacle extending downwardly from the bottom, said receptacle being open at its upper side, said tray having an opening in the bottom registering with the open upper side of the receptacle, a rim formed on the edges of the opening in the tray fitting down into the opening in the top side of the receptacle, a rim on the outer edges oi the receptacle, a rim on the outer edges of the tray fitting down upon and overlapping the rim on the outer edges of the receptacle to keep the tray from shifting, and a pair of prongs secured to the upper surfaces of the tray opposite one another at the opening to secure a piece of sliced watermelon to the tray.

GEORGE M. LON G. 

